From Kuwabara's Ashes
by Thursday Addams
Summary: After Kuwabara's death and her exile from the ice world, Yukina begins a new life with Kurama in the human world. But as soon as their relationship begins to blossom, they discover there was more to Kuwabara's death than meets the eye. KuramaxYukina
1. Chapter 1

From Kuwabara's Ashes Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.

A/N: So this is the new version of my fic previously called Brought Together By Tragedy. I started it about three years ago and recently got back to my fanfiction. I really enjoy the fic, but I don't like some of the things I did with it when I first started writing it. I just decided to tear it down and start it all over again. I wanted to make things move a bit faster between Kurama and Yukina and make them a little realistic. If you're someone who read this story the first time, you'll notice a lot of similarities in the first few chapters, but it should get very different later on. So I hope you enjoy it!

The air was thick with sorrow and the sound of sobbing could be heard from every point in the cemetery. The grey cloudy sky reflected the gloomy mood of the inhabitants and it threatened to release its own tears on the mourners. Today they were honoring Kazuma Kuwabara. His death had come as shock to everyone, but especially to the spirit detectives and those who knew of his work with them. Kuwabara had been walking home from school a few days earlier, and had met up with some thugs from another school. They had attacked him because they knew he was a good fighter from the rival school. He hadn't fought them back and tried to escape without doing them too much harm, but one of the boys had a gun concealed under his clothes. By the time he pulled the gun out and shot Kuwabara, it was too late for him to defend himself from them. Someone had called the ambulance and the police upon hearing a gunshot nearby, but when the authorities arrived on the scene the boys had escaped and Kuwabara was close to dying with little chance of survival. He knew that death was close so he told the paramedics the description of his attackers, and then he told them, "Tell Yukina that I love her, and to never forget me, but to keep moving on in her life and find someone else who will make her happy." He died in the hospital later that day of gunshot related wounds.

Now three spirit detectives stood at a cemetery watching the ceremony proceeding the scattering of Kuwabara's ashes. They stood in a circle a little ways away from the rest of the mourners who had gathered around the priest. Kurama was wearing a black blazer over a dark blue sweater and a pair of cream pants. Yusuke had put on an old ragged black suit he had rented just for the funeral, and Hiei was wearing his usual black cloak.

"Damn it Kuwabara, why'd you have to die?" Yusuke asked with his fists clenched and tears streaming down his face. The other two spirit detectives said nothing. Neither of them had cried, but they both wore forlorn, bitter expressions. Everyone felt as though they were responsible for Kuwabara's death. They felt as though they should have been watching him, should've been there to save him. It didn't make sense to any of them. Kuwabara had been a skilled fighter who had faced a myriad of lethal demon foes and had survived. It was believable that he would try to escape without harming the boys who had ambushed him, but it was hard to imagine him not being able to leave with his life.

Hiei observed the other mourners. Shizuru had let a few tears trickle down her face while her mother was sobbing freely and being comforted by her husband. Botan was crying too, but he knew that this was probably nothing compared to how she cried when she took Kuwabara's soul to spirit world, and Keiko stood next to her also crying. At last Hiei's ruby red eyes fell on his twin sister, Yukina. He saw that she was crying too and her tears turned to gems before they hit the ground. He was over next to her before she could blink and shed any more tears.

"He wouldn't want you crying over him, you know," Hiei said with the softness in his gruff voice that only came when he was speaking to his sister.

"You're right Hiei, but this is just so awful. First I'm exiled out of the ice world and then Kazuma dies," Yukina said sadly while looking down at the ground.

"You were exiled from the ice world?" Hiei asked his eyes widening slightly.

"Yes, the elders found out that I had run away to look for my brother. That in itself is a crime, but they may have given me a lesser punishment considering the circumstances, but then they found out that I had fallen in love with Kazuma, and that's strictly forbidden. They worried that I would become just like my mother, and one day bare a child that could also lead to their destruction, just as they fear my brother will do. They had no choice but to exile me," Yukina said sadly looking at the ground.

"They would really do that?" Botan asked with both surprise and horror in her voice.

"Yes," Hiei answered coldly.

"Oh how awful!" Botan exclaimed.

"I'm not mad at them, nor do I resent them, because it's just their laws, but I do hope my brother finds them and drives them to extinction. If they feel that living in isolation is the best course of action, then they don't deserve to live," Yukina didn't say this in a cold or angry way but Botan looked a little shocked to hear the sweet girl say such a thing, but Shizuru, upon hearing the statement, nodded her head in agreement.

"So where are you going to live now?" Kurama's voice made them all jump. No one had noticed that he and Yusuke had walked up behind them after Hiei and had been listening the whole time. Kurama had voiced the very thing that Hiei had been pondering since he learned that Yukina had been exiled. She couldn't live in the demon world; although she was not weak there were plenty of greedy demons out there who would want her for her tears. Demons were not allowed to stay permanently in the spirit world, but there was no place for her in the human world.

"You should probably stay in the human world," Yusuke suggested.

"Yes, that's what I was thinking as I've been wandering around the human world for the past few days, but I don't know where I would stay and I don't want to be a burden to anyone," Yukina mumbled quietly. There was a short silence while everyone thought about where Yukina could reside. It wasn't as though any of them wouldn't be more than happy to help out the small ice apparition, but their families posed a bit of a conundrum. Yusuke doubted very much that Yukina would want to stay in a home where the mother partied hard and was hung over a lot, Shizuru and her parents might remind Yukina of Kuwabara too much, and Keiko's parents were so busy with their restaurant that they didn't have time for a guest. That left only one person.

"You could stay with me," Kurama offered.

"Are you sure Kurama?" Yukina asked. Kurama glanced over at Hiei. He didn't do anything at first, but then he nodded in approval. Kurama was the closest thing Hiei would ever have to a best friend and he knew that Kurama wouldn't do anything to harm Yukina, but he didn't trust almost anyone when it came to his sister, and Kurama did not want to make an enemy of his friend.

"Yes Yukina, I'm sure." Kurama stated reassuringly with a nod of his head.

"So it's decided then, Yukina will stay with Kurama," Botan said clasping her hands together decisively.

Just as the decision was made, the priest announced that it was time for the scattering of the ashes. Each person in attendance took a handful of Kuwabara's ashes from the urn and tossed them to the wind in the graveyard. Yukina cried the hardest during this part of the ceremony. At first it was hard for her to understand. She felt it the activity had cruel implications. It was almost as though she were throwing away the person she had once been attached to. But being cremated had been Kazuma's wish, and the paramedics had passed along his final message to her. His words were ringing in her head. "_Tell Yukina that I love her, and to never forget me, but to keep moving on in her life and to find someone else who makes her happy._" Yukina pondered his words and tried to focus on how she would honor his dying wish. Yukina would of course never forget the strange human boy who had brought her so much joy, but it was hard for her to move forward after losing her home and her love. She knew that she had no choice, as life always moved forward. So that just left the last part. Finding someone else who made her happy. She could not imagine finding another romantic interest, but as she looked around her, she realized that she was surrounded by people who made her happy, and whether she was ready or not, she would be starting a new life with those people. _A life that would rise from Kuwabara's ashes_. Yukina thought as she finally let go of the ashes that she had been cradling in her palm.

After the funeral service and the traditional meal held afterward was over, Kurama and Yukina started the walk to Kurama's house. Kurama had been holding a black umbrella at his side the entire time because of the cloudy sky and now it started to rain. He pulled the umbrella open and held it over Yukina's head. "Here," He said with a warm smile.

"No, you should use it Kurama. I don't want you to get cold and wet because of me." Yukina replied. Kurama chuckled slightly at how sweet the ice apparition was.

"No, I'm fine. I've got my blazer on. Besides, I couldn't let you not have it or my mother would probably never let me in the house again," Kurama responded. His human mother had raised him to be quite the gentleman.

"Thank you Kurama," Yukina said. She started to look off into the distance as she walked. Kurama could tell she was deep in thought. "_She's probably still thinking about getting exiled and mourning the loss of Kuwabara._" He thought. He wanted to say something, anything to break the silence and help distract her from the things that were bothering her, but he couldn't think of what to say. After a few more minutes of walking in silence Kurama suddenly remembered something that he had forgotten to tell Yukina.

"I almost forgot, when you're around my mother or anyone else that I know in the human world you'll have to call me Suuichi," Kurama said tossing his slightly damp red hair over his shoulder with his free hand. About ten minutes later they had reached the Minamino residence. Kurama pulled his house key out of his pocket and opened the door which he held open for Yukina. The two of them walked inside and took their shoes off by the door.

"Mother isn't home yet, but when she gets home I'll explain everything to her. Here, I'll show you around the house," With that said Kurama gave Yukina a tour of his house. It was a small house, which made it easier for Yukina to remember where everything was, but it had that nice cozy feeling.

"This is the guest room where you'll be staying. It used to belong to my younger step brother, but he is living with his own mother right now. My step father is usually away at work, so you won't run into him around here much," Kurama explained as he opened the door to a cozy looking room. The room had white walls and wood flooring. There was a tan dresser next to a small one person sized bed with a blue bed spread, and the bed was pushed up against a large window that had several beautiful potted plants on the window sill. Yukina eyed the plants suspiciously and Kurama noticed this and smiled.

"Don't worry, they're not Makai plants so they won't harm you,"

"Oh, all right," Yukina answered. She walked over to the window and reached out and touched the petals on one of the plants. "Did you grow this yourself?" Yukina inquired.

"Yes,"

"They're very beautiful,"

"Thank you," Kurama watched Yukina admire his plants and he smiled slightly. He was pleased to see something he had created give Yukina a few moments of comfort from her melancholy thoughts. "I guess I had better let you make yourself at home. I'll give Botan a call and see if she can arrange a day in her schedule to take you shopping with the girls for some more human looking clothes to wear. You'll also need to pick up a school uniform while you're out.

"School uniform?" Yukina asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, unfortunately you will have to attend school while you're here in order to maintain the false idea that you're human, but don't worry. You'll be in the same grade as me so I can help you out, Kurama said gently giving Yukina a reassuring smile.

"Oh," Yukina replied. She wasn't really sure what to think about the idea of going to school.

"I know you need to get settled and I'm sure today has taken a lot out of you. I'll be back up later to inform you of when dinner is ready," Kurama said sympathetically as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Yukina sat on her new bed and stared out the window. The rain had almost stopped and now it was sprinkling lightly. The sky was still grey, but not as though it was about to storm. It had turned out to be a fairly peaceful day. Yukina sighed and closed her eyes. This world was going to be very different. Eventually, Yukina fell asleep. At first she dreamt of going to human school and making new friends there. In her dream she was talking and laughing and smiling again. It had started out as a very good dream. Then suddenly, her dream took a turn for the worst. She was back in her home, in the ice world. She was standing in front of the elders.

"Yukina, you have disobeyed our laws. We know what you did. First you ran away from this world to go and find your brother, and you didn't even ask for our permission," The oldest of the elders said. Rui was watching from a distance and she started to cry. She had now seen two people that she had loved stand in front of this elder. Yukina, who was like a niece to her, and her best friend, Hina, and she had the feeling that this wasn't going to end in Yukina's favor.

"I did not mean to disobey your laws, but you have to understand, he's the only family I have left, and all I wanted to do was see him once. I just wanted to know what my brother was like. Get to know my family. I had no intention of bringing him back here," Yukina said softly.

"So you are saying that Rui here, who was kind enough to raise you like her own daughter, isn't good enough?" The elder asked coldly.  
"No, Miss Rui has been very kind to me, and I'm grateful for that, but she is not my blood relative," Yukina said. She glanced over at Rui. Rui nodded as if she understood.

"Regardless of your intentions you know that you're not supposed to leave this world without the permission of the elders. You knew you were breaking the rules Yukina. We have these rules to keep our society safe! Your mother broke our rules too and now her son the imiko will slaughter us all! But he doesn't know where our village is! Now because of you he probably knows! Tell me, Yukina, did you find him?" The elder finally asked after all her cold remarks. The flames of the fire that she and the other elders were standing around danced in her eyes.

Yukina thought about it for a moment. She had not found her brother for sure, but she felt as though Hiei was the closest thing she could have to a brother, and she had her suspicions."Yes, yes, I did, but I did not show him where the village is or tell him anything about it," Yukina said bravely. She looked the elder straight in the eyes. She was not afraid of them.

"Even if you did not tell him anything about us, you have fallen in love with a man. Yes, we found out about him. Kazuma Kuwabara, I believe his name is. Ever since your mother we've always had someone keep an eye on you. Falling in love with a man is against our rules. You could make the same mistake as your mother and someday bare a child that could aid the imiko in our demise. You know the punishment is death," The elder said without emotion.

"No!" Rui cried out suddenly, "You can't! She's still young. She has time to learn from her mistakes!" The elder turned on her.

"Rui, you have been a valuable member of our society as long as you have been alive. I don't agree with your opinions, but I must respect them on behalf of all of the things you have done for us. Very well then Yukina, we will exile you," The elder said coldly.

"I understand," Yukina said. She left the elders, packed all her things, said goodbye to Rui, and then left the village of the ice maidens forever. In her dream Yukina suddenly found herself standing on an empty street in the human world. She did nothing for a moment, but then she saw Kuwabara walking toward her.

"Kazuma!" She called and waved. He didn't appear to be able to see or hear her. As he walked on there was a group of three boys standing a few yards in front of him and they were blocking the path. Yukina could clearly see the face of two of the boys who were standing on the other side of another boy, but the face of the boy in the middle was blacked out. When Kuwabara came to where they were standing he politely asked them to move. They boys simply stood there and glared at Kuwabara, a sign that they didn't plan on moving out of his way anytime soon.

"Hey you guys what's the big deal? I don't have time to beat you up, but I will if you don't move!"

"You're a friend of that Yusuke Urameshi, aren't you? That fighter from Sariyaski Junior High?" One of the boys asked.

"Yeah. what's it to ya?" Kuwabara asked as he tried to shove the boys aside. Another one of the boys pushed him down to the ground.

"We don't like him much." The boy who had pushed Kuwabara down said. He kicked Kuwabara in the face. Kuwabara realized that he would have to fight the boys to get through so he did. He refrained from using any of his spirit powers or his full strength so that he wouldn't injure the boys too badly. He was busy fighting two of the boys, and the third boy whose face was blacked out was standing behind him.

Suddenly, he pulled out a hand gun. The gun made a deafening bang as the bullet was released from the barrel. It hit him near the shoulder. Kuwabara turned around. His mouth was O shaped, mostly from the shock of being shot. As much as he hated to do this, he started to summon his spirit sword. This guy was dangerous. He was seriously trying to hurt Kuwabara. Maybe even kill him.

"You're a pretty lousy shot!" Kuwabara said as he summoned his spirit sword and got ready to strike the boy with it. The boy just stood there and grinned. Kuwabara froze. His eyes widened and his muscles tightened. The boy who had shot him grinned wider.

"That's for Yukina," The boy said and then something very strange happened. Yukina could see Kuwabara's veins in his face and hands. They weren't blue like they should've been though, they were a bright green. Kuwabara fell to the ground, dead, and the green disappeared.

Yukina sat upright as she awoke from her dream. She must've fallen asleep. She reflected on her dream. She felt sad as she remembered the day she was exiled. It had not been a HUGE shock that she had been exiled, but she really hadn't expected them to know about Kuwabara. She was not a revengeful person, but it stung to be abandoned like that. Perhaps that was how her brother had felt. In a way she was sort of glad she had been exiled from the ice world. She missed Rui a lot, but she would be able to take care of other things now. She hoped she would be able to see her brother again.

Now the second part of her dream was bothering her. Why had the man's face been blurred? His voice sounded so familiar, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before. She thought about what had happened to Kuwabara after he had been shot. She didn't know a whole lot about guns, but she doubted that an ordinary human gun could make someone's veins turn green. And he hadn't been hit in the heart or anything, just his shoulder. And what did she have to do with anything of this? The man had said "That's for Yukina." but Kazuma had never done anything to hurt her and how did the man know who she was? There was a slight knocking on her door.

"Yukina? Are you there?" Kurama's voice came through the door. Yukina got out of bed and answered the door. Her hair was coming out of her pony tail slightly and it was a little messy, but it framed her face nicely.

"Hello Kur- er Suuichi." Yukina greeted him remembering that in the human world she had to call him Suuichi.

" My mother sent me up here to tell you dinner is ready. You may want to fix your hair a bit before you come down," Kurama said with a smile. He reached out and smoothed one of her strands of hair that had come out of her pony tail and was now sticking up in front of her face. Yukina blushed at the momentary feeling of his slender gentle fingers running down her face, because although Kurama hadn't done it in a flirtatious fashion, she was not used to having people touch her. The two of them just stood there in silence for a moment. "I guess I should let you get ready so that you can eat," Kurama said as he turned to walk away. Yukina was still blushing a little bit as she walked back into her room to brush her hair and get ready for dinner.

Yukina took a small red hairbrush out of the bag of things she had brought with her to the human world and fixed her hair. She had heard about dinner in the human world and envisioned it to one of the fancy banquets that people dressed up for. She looked at her down at her appearance and sighed. The only clothes she had were her green kimono. She didn't have a more elegant dress to wear to dinner. She decided it would be rude to make no attempt to dress up so she decided to put her hair into a bun with one strand hanging down to frame her face. Yukina studied herself in a mirror that was sitting on the dresser in the bedroom. It was very different for her to wear her hair like that, but it did make her look more elegant.

She opened the door and walked out of her room. She made her way into the living room and paused for a moment. Yukina hoped she was dressed properly for dinner. What if Kurama's mother was insulted that she had not dressed more formally? She had felt so out of place at the funeral where everyone but Hiei and herself was all dressed up, and she would feel even more embarrassed in front of the woman who had kindly let Yukina stay at her house.

"Yukina, are you coming? The dining room is right this way," Kurama called to her. Yukina took a breath and then walked into the dining room to see Kurama and his human mother sitting at the dinner table with plates of delicious looking food in front of them. She noticed that Kurama had not changed out of his clothes from the funeral and his mother was wearing fairly plain attire. She was confused as to why they were not adorned with more formal attire but she was grateful that she didn't have to feel out of place again.  
"Mother, this is Yukina." Kurama said as he stood up and gave Yukina a little nudge to say hello to his mother.

"It's very nice to meet you." Yukina said giving a small polite bow.

"It's nice to meet you too. You can have a seat if you want dear." Shiori said nodding her head toward the only chair which was not occupied. Yukina took a seat and she began to eat her dinner. The three of them were silent for the first few minutes of the meal. Shiori broke the silence after awhile by making small talk with Yukina.

"So Yukina, Suuichi tells me you have to stay here since your parents died? I'm very sorry to hear about that." Yukina shot a glance at Kurama who returned it with a look that told her to just play along.

"Umm yes, they died in a…car crash and I have no other family to live with so at Kazuma's funeral Suuchi graciously offered to let me stay with you. I'll try not to be a burden to you, Mrs. Minamino."

"Oh you can call me Shiori, and you are more than welcome here. I'm so sorry it must've been so hard for you to have your parents die and then that boy." Yukina suddenly became very interested in her lap and a look of sorrow flickered across Kurama's features. His mother took notice of their sadness and her expression too turned to one of sorrow.

"Well, it's best not to dwell on the negative things. I'm sure neither your parents nor Kuwabara would want us to be sitting here at dinner mourning them, so let's discuss something else." Kurama said breaking the silence and trying to smile a little.

"Yes, let's," Yukina said as she looked up.

"So Yukina, you're going to go to the same school as Suuichi then?" Shiori inquired.

"Yes. I'm a grade under him though."

"Don't worry we can see about registering you and getting you a uniform and all that. I don't think we'll have you start school right away though. I'm sure you need time to recuperate from this whole experience." Shiori said shooting Yukina another sympathetic look.

Yukina mentally sighed. School was not something she had given too much thought to. She supposed it would be all right since Kurama was going to be there and he would help her through it, but she had heard Yusuke and Kazuma gripe about school many times. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she thought about Kazuma. She could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. She blinked them back slowly. She couldn't cry. Not in front of Shiori. Yukina had a feeling that most humans would be pretty amazed at anyone who could cry jewels. To take her mind off of Kuwabara she decided to answer Shiori.

"I will be fine. I'll start school as soon as I need to."

"Well, the semester ends in a few weeks. I think it would be best if you started at the next semester." Kurama interjected.

"Then I will start at the next semester." Yukina replied with a determined nod. After this discussion everyone was quiet as they finished their dinner. Shiori started to clear the plates once everyone was finished.

"Suuichi, would you help me with the dishes please?" Shiori asked looking at her son knowing that he would have helped her even if she hadn't asked.

"Of course, mother."

"You don't have to do the dishes, Suuichi and I can do them." Yukina said.

"Are you sure? You are a guest in this house I really don't expec-"

"Yes, I'm positive. You are so generously letting me stay in your home so I want to do what I can to help out." Yukina said firmly. She glanced at Kurama hoping that he would insist that his mother didn't help with the dishes. She wanted to talk to him about why dinners weren't as formal as she had expected, but more importantly, she wanted to discuss her dream with him.

"Yes mother, Yukina and I can take care of the dishes. You just go on to bed I know you're tired after a long day at work." Kurama coaxed.

"Oh you kids are so nice. Well have a goodnight then." Shiori said as she retreated to her room. Kurama watched his human mother walk into her room and he waited until her door was shut and he saw her light go off to pull Yukina into the kitchen and talk to her. He turned on the sink and let the plates soak in the warm soapy water for a minute.

"So Yukina, what did you want to talk to me about?" He inquired as he turned towards the koorime girl who looked confusedly at the sink for a moment and then put the plates in it as Kurama had done.

"Umm well, first I wanted to ask you, umm...why was dinner not very formal? All of the human dinners I had heard about everyone dressed up and there was this huge feast. I thought it would be like the dinner after Kazuma's funeral," Yukina added quietly. Kurama tilted his head back and laughed softly. "Did I say something funny?" Yukina asked with a confused expression on her face.

"It's quite all right Yukina, but dinners like that are only on special occasions. Things like holidays and funerals are when we dress up for dinner. Normally they're just like it was tonight." Kurama said smiling at her naivety.

"Oh..." Yukina started quietly with her head down. "...I guess that is sort of funny," She said smiling and lifting her head up. Kurama chuckled again.

"I was wondering why you put your hair up differently. At first I was afraid you took my comment about fixing your hair the wrong way and you thought I didn't like your hair the way it was. I felt bad because I thought I had insulted you. I assure you, it looks quite nice,"

"Oh Kurama, no. I just wanted to dress up for dinner," Kurama chuckled again and then his expression turned to a more serious one.

"I sense there was something else you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Oh, yes, I had this strange dream last night," Yukina said her expression turning grim. She told Kurama everything in her dream and he frowned when she mentioned the man whose face was blurred out and had yelled that he killed Kuwabara for her.

"Do you have any idea who that man could be?" Kurama asked her.

"No, none. I was hoping you might," Yukina said shaking her head.

"Well, this is some interesting news. We should finish the dishes and then sleep on it. I'll see if I can contact anyone in spirit world who may be able to help. You can go to bed right now if you want. I'm sure you must be exhausted," Kurama said as he poured more dish soap on the plates in the sink.

"No, I told your mother I would help out with the dishes so I will." Yukina said as she took the clean dish from him and began to dry it. Kurama opened his mouth to argue but then decided against it. Helping him and his mother around the house was Yukina's way of repaying them for their kindness. When the last dish had been cleaned he handed it to Yukina for her to dry. She hadn't been looking up and Kurama saw her fingers slipping off of the wet dish. He put his hand over hers and grasped the dish with his fingertips so it wouldn't fall. His hand was much larger and it fit over hers nicely. Yukina looked up at him feeling his warm hand on her icy one. She blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry Yukina, it's just you were about to drop the plate," Kurama said quickly pulling his hand away.

"It's fine. I'm sorry I should have been paying more attention," There was an awkward silence as Yukina dried the last plate off.

"We should be getting to bed, Yukina," Kurama said after Yukina put the plate in the cupboard.

"Yes, you're right. Goodnight Kurama,"

"Goodnight Yukina,

And with that the two of the walked off to their rooms and curled up in their beds. Yukina fell asleep almost instantly, but Kurama stayed up pondering who the man in Yukina's dream could have been and what that meant for the rest of them. He kept trying to tell himself that her dream was nothing but that, and that the man in her dream wouldn't come back for her; nervous thoughts of Yukina in danger kept him awake.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Yukina awoke to the sun shining in her eyes. She got out of bed and stretched tiredly. She walked out of her room and into the dining room to find Kurama sitting patiently at the table waiting for her, and Shiori in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Yukina." Kurama greeted warmly.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Yukina asked.

"I suppose so," Kurama said tiredly.

"Okay you two, breakfast is ready in the kitchen! I already made myself something earlier this morning so have as much as you want, I need to leave for work now so have a good day!" Shiori called quickly before heading out the door. Kurama and Yukina took their plates into the kitchen and filled them with as much food as they needed. Kurama took note of the fact that Yukina hadn't eaten much in the last day or two and she was continuing this pattern again today.

"Not hungry, Yukina?" He asked.

"No not really. I mean, this food looks very good but I just haven't been very hungry since Kazuma's death." Yukina responded sadly. Kurama knew she was still upset over Kuwabara's death and he decided not to mention anything that would make her think of it again. "Did you talk to anyone about my dream at all?" Yukina inquired once they sat down.

"Yes, I had to contact spirit world about it because I think it may be connected to Kuwabara's death somehow. They never arrested the boys who killed him because had no evidence indentifying the boys who did it. All they have is a vague description, and they haven't seen anyone that matches that description since the day he was killed." Kurama said. He sighed. This was exactly the topic he wanted to avoid.

"So my dream might help them catch whoever killed Kazuma?" Yukina asked somewhat hopefully.

"Yes." The two of them remained silent for awhile as they were absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally, Kurama broke the silence once the meal was over. "Unfortunately I've already missed several days of school in order to recover from…..recent events….so I need to go back today. The new semester doesn't start for a month and I think I should help you get situated to life in the human world when I'm home. You should go take your shower. I'll show you where the bathroom is and how to work the shower." The two of the took care of their dishes and then they headed up the stairs to the bathroom. Kurama explained to Yukina how to turn the shower on and off and how to make the water colder. He handed her a towel. "I'll be downstairs catching up on my studies. Just come down when you're finished and I'll start introducing you to life here."

"All right. Thank you, Kurama." Yukina said. Kurama left the room and shut the door behind him. Yukina started the water and then took off her clothes and got in the shower. The cold water felt good to her and it reminded her of the home she had left behind. She thought of her dream again. The man who shot Kazuma's voice had sounded so familiar. She couldn't place where she had heard it though. In her dream she had gotten the impression that the man had been human, but whatever he shot Kazuma with was not. The part that bothered her the most was that he said it was for her. How did he know her? Was he going to come after her too? She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair as she thought about it some more. Finally her shower was done and she got out and dried herself off. She dressed herself and proceeded down the stairs, her hair still slightly damp.

"Hello Yukina, I'm glad to see you figured out how to use the shower. You have much to learn about the human world, but I'll try to teach you the really important things when I'm home from school. I imagine you'll be quite bored when I'm away, so feel free to help yourself to anything in the house. You can watch TV or movies in order to entertain yourself, and they might give you some insight to life in the human world as well. Come here, and I'll show you how to work the television and the VCR," Kurama said beckoning Yukina closer.

Yukina approached Kurama and watched as he used the remote to operate the TV and VCR. He explained to Yukina the function of each button and showed her exactly how they affected the devices. Yukina found it a lot to take in, but she supposed it would come easier to her when she tried it herself.

"Now Yukina, although movies and television reveal much about human life, they are not always accurate portrayals. If you see anything that seems completely outrageous, feel free to ask me about it and I'll explain it to you," Kurama warned. Yukina nodded in understanding. Kurama then motioned towards a small brown bookshelf next to the television set.

"Most of the books here are educational books. I always found it fascinating to read about how humans explained the world around them. Reading these books may help you get accustomed to school and learning human ideas. I'd recommend them, but you don't have to read any of them if they make you feel overwhelmed," Kurama offered. He then glanced anxiously at the clock and his eyes widened. "I really need to be on my way now, but I hope you find these things enough to occupy your time until I come home this afternoon," Kurama said hurriedly. Yukina thanked him for showing her the entertainment and wished him a good day.

After Kurama's departure, Yukina felt alone in the empty house. The warmth that Kurama and Shiori brought to the house was gone, and now it was just Yukina on her own surrounded by foreign contraptions invented by humans. Yukina was familiar with some of it, as she had seen the jumbo TV screens at the dark tournament and the tapes at spirit world, but she had never tried to operate any of the devices herself. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of such feelings. Kurama had just shown her how to use the items, and if human children could do it, how hard could it really be? Yukina decided the most important thing for her right now was to acclimate herself to normal human behaviors. She was living with a human woman, after all. Yukina picked up the remote and nervously pressed the "On" button, hoping she was at least starting out right. The television flickered on and Yukina was greeted by a car chase scene from an action movie playing on the drama network. After watching the scene for almost a minute, Yukina made the decision that high speed car chases were probably not a normal part of the average human life, so she began channel surfing. After receiving a complete culture shock by seeing scantily clad women dance to rap songs, hearing mobsters make deals with crooked cops, and watching parts of horrendously sad movies about domestic abuse, Yukina finally settled on an innocent looking sitcom, which was fortunately running a marathon. Over the next few hours, Yukina became completely engrossed in the lives of the middle class family that were unfolding in front of her. She felt like the antics performed by the family, though comical, were quite realistic. She observed the way the teenage daughter in particular was always going on about her favorite actor or her latest love interest. Yukina wondered if this would be a topic of conversation among many of the girls she would soon be going to school with. Yukina had come from a world of women who isolated themselves from all other living beings, so she was not exactly uncomfortable with the idea of never getting to know anyone other than Kurama, but she supposed it would be easier on her if she made a few friends. She grew tired of the thought of having to learn all of the popular celebrities in the human world. The more she realized she had to learn, the more hopeless she felt. Just when she was about to change the channel to something lighter, Yukina heard the front door being opened. To her relief Kurama walked through the now open door and greeted her warmly after setting his book bag on the kitchen table.

"I see you learned how to work the television just fine," Kurama said gesturing to the TV.

"Yes, I suppose I did," Yukina responded with a nervous smile. "Kurama, how important is it that I learn all of these human entertainers?" Yukina asked sounding clearly overwhelmed. Kurama frowned in response.

"Yukina, I assure you will be fine. You'll learn about enough of the better known ones just from watching TV that it shouldn't be a problem, but you'll pick up most of it as you go along. You shouldn't concern yourself with this too much. I only suggested you watch TV to help you feel less alienated. If it's just going to upset you maybe I shouldn't let you watch it," Kurama stated firmly.

"Oh I don't mind it. If you say it will be fine then I'm sure it will. I was just feeling rather overwhelmed by this whole situation. I guess I never realized before how different the humans are from me," Yukina admitted. Kurama's face softened and he moved closer to her and stared straight into her eyes as he assured her once more that she would be just fine.

"Look Yukina, I have some assignments I need to finish for tomorrow. Maybe you would benefit from watching me and I can start teaching you some things," Kurama suggested. At first Yukina looked mortified at the idea of trying to grasp more new concepts, but then her face broke into a smile.

"Sure, anything to make it easier on myself later," Yukina said in a positive tone. Kurama and Yukina sat down at the kitchen table together, engrossing themselves in their studies. Kurama worked diligently on a book report, while Yukina familiarized herself with the layout and tools available in a textbook. When Shiori came home from work, the three of them all had a pleasant dinner together before heading off to bed.

Throughout the next few weeks, Yukina immersed herself in learning all she could about the human world. She raided Kurama's bookshelf in order to get a head start on learning about her school subjects. She also watched a minimal amount of TV to educate herself on common knowledge found in the human world. There were times when she felt frustrated and defeated by the vast amount of knowledge she would have to cram into her brain in order to appear a normal human girl, but it felt nice to have something occupying her mind other than Kazuma's murder or her strange dream involving the murderers. Over the course of her learning, Yukina had gotten to know Kurama fairly well, and she was grateful to have such a patient friend who rarely laughed at her lack of knowledge about humans.

Two days before Yukina was to start school, Kurama noticed she was unnaturally quiet while they were watching a movie together. Normally she was bursting with questions about what she had learned during the day, but tonight she was silent.

"Yukina, is something bothering you?" Kurama asked as he paused the movie to hear her response.

"Well, I'm just nervous about starting school. I mean I haven't been living in the human world for very long yet and I'm afraid it will be really difficult for me," Yukina admitted.

"Don't worry about it, when you start school just worry about concentrating on your studies and the rest will come in time. I admit it might be a bit of a challenge at first, but remember I'll be there to lend a hand when you need it," Kurama gave her a reassuring smile. Yukina tried to return his smile, but Kurama could tell there was something else bothering her. He gazed intently at her until she revealed the rest.

"It's not just that, I'm still feeling shaken over Kazuma's death. I've mostly come to terms with my grief, but every now and then I still miss him terribly. I've had a lot to take my mind off of it because of learning about the human world, but being in this house all alone isn't easy; especially since I had that dream about the man who killed Kazuma. I get paranoid. I feel like he might be watching me or coming for me," Yukina admitted, not meeting Kurama's gaze. She hoped she hadn't insulted him. She was very grateful to be staying with Kurama and Shiori, but the house was lonely without their presence and she didn't feel quite safe being by herself.

"I've been afraid of that as well," Kurama admitted, "but you are under some sort of protection, whether you've realized it or not," Kurama glanced out the window at the black shape that rustled in between the branches of a tree overlooking his house. To Yukina, it appeared as though he were looking to the outside lost in his thoughts. Kurama was actually looking out at Hiei, debating whether he should inform Yukina of his presence or not. Kurama supposed it would seem odd to Yukina to know that Hiei was constantly watching over her, so he decided to be rather vague about exactly why Yukina had nothing to fear. "Let's just say I have a few….security measures in place…." Kurama said with a sly smile. His smile quickly faded as he addressed Yukina's other concern. "As far as feeling stir crazy, I should have attended to that sooner. I was busy with my studies and my training, but I have far more time on the weekends and I should have taken you out long ago. In fact, why don't you head off to bed since it's late, and we'll get up early tomorrow and I'll spend the day showing you around town?"

"You don't have to go to any trouble for me…" Yukina protested softly.

"It's no trouble at all, I could use some time out of the house myself," Kurama insisted.

"Oh, well if you insist. I'll head off to bed then. Thank you, Kurama!" Yukina exclaimed, her face brightening significantly.

The next morning Yukina awoke to Kurama shaking her lightly. "Yukina, it's time to get up," He spoke softly as not to upset her tired brain. Yukina's eyes fluttered open at Kurama's prompting but she was still too groggy to say anything. "Sorry Yukina, it's just you were so deeply asleep," Kurama said. Truthfully, with the thought of security measures and a day on the town with Kurama ahead of her, Yukina had gotten the most peaceful sleep she had in a long time.

When Yukina arrived downstairs after her shower, she spotted Kurama standing by the door wearing a thick dark blue coat. Upon seeing her, Kurama said, "It's getting to be rather cold outside as it's now December, but we don't really have any coats for you to wear, and I assume you'd be more comfortable without one, right?" Kurama gave her a knowing smile.

"Of course. Let's go!" Yukina exclaimed enthusiastically. Kurama chuckled softly and then proceeded out the door. Kurama studied their surroundings for a moment, while Yukina enjoyed the feeling of the cold, crisp air on her flesh. The feeling for her was bittersweet. The temperature was comfortable and refreshing for her, but it reminded her of the home she left behind. She didn't miss it; she just wanted to forget she had ever lived in such a place. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kurama when he spoke again.

"The city is rather small, so you'll be able to walk to most of the places you may want to visit. We'll be walking to school every day, certainly," Kurama said pointing to the large school building that was visible down the street. "We should probably focus on places that you may want to visit by yourself, though." Kurama said decisively, guiding Yukina down the street passed various shops and public buildings. Yukina was fascinated by the bright lights and colorful displays visible through the shops' front windows. She didn't see anything she particularly desired; she was just amazed at all of the things humans were capable of crafting. They would stop briefly in front of each building, as Kurama gave Yukina a short description of the function of each place. After walking almost halfway around the city, they stopped in front of a café wafting delicious aromas out of its doors.

"Kurama, what are those?" Yukina inquired pointing to the chocolates that were placed artfully on metal trays in front of the window.

"Those are chocolate covered cherries," Kurama explained.

"May I try one?" Yukina asked hopefully. She had suddenly found herself very hungry from all the walking and unable to resist the aroma of sweets and coffee.

"You can have anything you'd like," Kurama said smiling to himself as he entered the shop and waited in line to purchase their food. It seemed fitting to him that such a sweet girl would have a sweet tooth. Kurama returned to the table that Yukina had picked out with two coffees in his hand.

"I ordered two coffees for us while we sit here, and on our way out I'll buy you a bag of chocolate covered cherries for our walk home," Kurama said placing a drink in front of her. "I figured you would prefer your drinks cold, so I got you an iced frappuchino," Kurama said knowingly. Yukina studied the strange drink in front of her for a moment before deciding to take a sip. Her face brightened instantly as the drink made its way from the straw to her tongue.

"This is wonderful!" Yukina cried ecstatically. Kurama gave a small laugh into his coffee. He looked up from his drink to make conversation.

"I arranged for Botan to take you shopping tomorrow for all of your school supplies. You'll be going to the mall to do so, and it's a little farther out so I believe you'll be taking a borrowed car from Spirit World. The mall is one place we didn't visit today, but I think Botan is better acquitted to guide you through that experience anyway," Kurama said.

"Oh, I forgot school was starting for me so soon! It's all right that we didn't visit the mall today though, I saw plenty of places already." Yukina replied quickly, hoping that Kurama didn't feel as though he hadn't shown her enough by leaving out a few places that required some sort of transportation other than walking.

"Good, I hope you enjoyed today," Kurama said between sips of his coffee.

"Oh yes! Thank you very much for today, Kurama!" Yukina exclaimed brightly, getting up to throw away her empty cup in the nearby trash can. Yukina made her way to the door while Kurama waited in line to buy her a bag of chocolate covered cherries. When the cherries had been purchased, the two of them made their way out into the street. Yukina popped a chocolate covered cherry into her mouth, delighted. She was just about to open her mouth and express her gratitude that Kurama had bought her such a wonderful treat, when something cold and wet landed on her forehead.

"Snow!" Yukina cried looking up at the sky. Kurama smiled.

"Yes, it looks as though it's going to snow a bit today. Unfortunately, not everyone is an ice apparition like you so we should be getting home before it snows too much," Kurama said quickening his pace a little. As they walked home, Yukina couldn't help but think to herself how perfect today had been. It had been refreshing for her to get out of the house and finally see the town she had been living in, Kurama had been good company as always and he had introduced her to some of the finer foods of the human world, and now the weather was starting to act in her favor. She was still considering her good fortune when she thanked Kurama before crawling into her bed preparing herself for the long day of shopping ahead of her.

The next morning Kurama woke Yukina from her peaceful sleep to inform her that he was leaving the house to work out at the local gym, and that she had about half an hour to get ready before Botan and the other girls would arrive Yukina rolled out of bed a few minutes after Kurama had left, and slowly trudged to the shower. The icy water helped to rid her of any grogginess that remained from waking up, and when she got out of the shower she heard knocking at the front door. She raced to dress herself and answer the door quickly. When she opened it, she saw Botan in front of her.

"Hello Yukina! Oh my, your hair's still wet! Did you just get out of the shower? We can take care of that, come on!" Botan said as she walked into the house and up the stairs to the bathroom. Yukina followed her while trying to utter an awkward greeting. Botan began to look around in the drawers as soon as she reached the bathroom with a furious kind of engery. "It has to be here somewhere I'm almost positive Shiori has one..." Botan said to herself. "Aha! Found it!" Botan exclaimed as she pulled out a hair dryer.

"What's that?" Yukina asked as she blinked confusedly at the device.

"It's a hair dryer! It'll make your hair dry in just a few minutes. Come here and I'll dry your hair for you." Botan said plugging in the hair dryer and beckoning Yukina to come towards her. Yukina looked at the hair dryer suspiciously and walked towards Botan. Botan put the hair dryer on high and aimed it toward Yukina's head. Yukina cringed and closed her eyes. She didn't like the loud noise it made or the feeling of heat on the back of her neck. When Botan was finished Yukina's hair was dry, but there was also a huge mountain of frizz on top of it. Yukina looked in the mirror and frowned. "Oh my!" Botan gasped. "Don't worry we'll have this fixed in a jiffy!" Botan hastily searched the drawers again until she found what she was looking for. She held up a bottle of Herbal Essence Hair Smoothing Cream.

"Botan, are you sure we should use that?" Yukina asked.  
"Sure! I'm almost positive Shiori won't mind!" Botan replied squirting out some of the cream into the palm of her hand.  
"I don't think that's Shiori's...I saw Kurama use some this morning." Yukina said. Botan sweat dropped.

"Well, I'm sure he won't mind either." Botan smoothed the cream into Yukina's hair and the frizz fell flat instantly. "Much better!" Botan exclaimed. "Now we should go pick up Shizuru. She wanted to come with us." With that the two of them left the house and got into the car that was parked in the driveway. "George drove me here but he had to leave to help Koenma with something so I'll have to drive us. I hope driving a car isn't too different from flying an oar."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Botan." Yukina encouraged her friend as she put on her seatbelt. Botan put the car in reverse and successfully backed out of the driveway. Then she flew across the street going 20 over the speed limit. She continued like this until she saw a red light. She slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt narrowly avoiding a car wreck. "Umm Botan, maybe you should slow down a bit." Yukina suggested. When the light turned green Botan sped off. Amazingly, they reached the Kuwabara residence in one piece. As soon as they parked in the driveway Shizuru came out the door holding a black purse and a cigarette. She took the backseat and rolled down a window so her cigarette smoke wouldn't fog up the car.

"Brr Shizuru that's freezing! Can you not roll down the windows?" Botan asked.

"I think it feels nice." Yukina said. She was glad that it was going to start snowing regularly soon. Shizuru ignored Botan's request and continued to smoke her cigarette with her head out the open window. Botan narrowly avoided several accidents on the way to the mall. When they finally reached their destination Yukina was happy to feel the car come to a halt. Botan took Shizuru and Yukina by the wrist and led them into a store that was filled with school supplies.

"We need to get Yukina everything she needs for school before we can do any fun shopping." Botan explained. Shizuru nodded. "Ok Shizuru, grab a basket and take care of all the little things and I'll take Yukina with me to pick out a backpack and try on a uniform."

"Right." Shizuru said. Botan took Yukina over to the service desk where the wall behind it had uniforms upon uniforms hanging on it.

"Excuse me miss, we need a uniform for her." Botan said. She gave the clerk the name of Kurama's school.

"What size do you need?" The clerk asked.

"Umm, how about a size 5?" Botan said taking a guess at Yukina's dress size. The clerk took a size 5 girl's uniform off a hanger on the wall and handed it to Yukina. Botan led her to the dressing rooms so she could try on the uniform and waited patiently outside of the dressing room. Yukina put on the skirt first and then the top. It was a little baggy but it fit well enough. She looked at herself in the mirror. The uniform was a red and the top had a slight 1 inch V neck and the skirt was just above knee length. She wasn't particularly fond of the uniform, but it could have been worse. She walked out of the dressing room to show Botan.

"Oh you look so cute!" Botan gushed. Yukina smiled. In her opinion she didn't look all that good in red, but Botan always thought Yukina looked adorable. "Change back into your regular clothes and then we'll pick you out a book bag!" Yukina changed back and then as she was just about to select a green book bag Shizuru came to them with a basket full of supplies.

"Ok, I think I got everything" She said.

"Great, I'll just get this book bag and pay for the uniform." Yukina said taking the green book bag. She handed it to Botan who took it to the register and paid for it along with the uniform. The three of them left the store and went to go get some lunch. They each chose a restaurant to get food from and then sat at a table together and ate their meal.

"So Yukina, have you been doing alright since…since we saw each other last?" Shizuru asked.

"Yes, I've been fine. Kurama and Shiori have been very kind to me."

"Do you like Kurama? I think you two would be adorable together!" Botan said. Yukina blushed a little.

"Botan, I don't think that's an appropriate question yet. I really don't think Yukina wants to be with anyone right now." Shizuru said casting a look at Yukina who looked embarrassed, sad, and confused.

"Well I didn't mean she HAD too I was just saying if she liked him she has my blessing." Botan said quickly. Yukina was silent. Shizuru noticed the air of discomfort between the three of them so she got up and said,

"Come on girls, let's go shopping." Yukina and Botan both got up and followed Shizuru into a store. Shizuru and Botan both started looking through clothing racks while Yukina looked through other things the store had. She heard Botan call her name after a few minutes so she looked towards Botan and Shizuru's direction.

"Yukina this Kimono would look so adorable on you!" Botan exclaimed holding up a dark blue kimono that had silver dragons on it.

"What do you think of these pajamas kid?" Shizuru asked holding up a pair of silk pajamas that consisted of a red shirt with yellow stars and a red pair of shorts with yellow stars.

"They're both very cute." Yukina said.

"Here try these on too." Botan said throwing a pile of clothes at Yukina. Yukina caught them and went to find a dressing room. Once she had left Botan turned to Shizuru.

"Did you hear about Yukina's dream?" She asked.

"No, what happened?" Botan described the dream to Shizuru.

"Wow. I don't know who that man is but we should try to find him." Shizuru said once Botan was finished.

"We already have people in the spirit world looking for him, and I've asked Koenma to notify the detectives and he said he would once he had more information."

"Right well, I'm going to see if I can go to the police and get more information on the bullet that was used. I'll bring Kurama with me to see if he knows what it is." Shizuru said.

"Hmm that sounds like a good idea, but just be careful." Botan said. Shizuru started to say something but Botan stopped her. "Here comes Yukina."

"So Yukina did you like those clothes?" Shizuru asked her casually.

"Yes, but are you sure we should be buying all of them?" Yukina asked.

"Oh of course! We're spending Koenma's money not ours!" Botan said cheerfully. Yukina and Shizuru sweat dropped.

"Well then, if we're spending his money we should get some things for us too." Shizuru said with a mischievous smirk. So three hours later the girls got into Botan's borrowed car with several bags of new clothes, jewelry, accessories, and random department store items that they didn't really need. Botan dropped Shizuru off at her house before dropping off Yukina who thanked her for the shopping trip. When Yukina came home Kurama was sitting at the dining room table having a snack. She sat down next to him.

"So Yukina, how was your trip. I see you were successful in finding some of the clothes that you needed." Kurama said nodding at the bags Yukina was holding.

"Yes, we had a lot of fun. It was good to get out." Yukina said with a small smile. Kurama smiled too. He was glad that she had been able to go out and do something that made her happy.

"My mother should be home soon and then we'll be having dinner. You should probably put all your clothes away and just leave your school supplies as they are and I'll help you organize them later."

"Okay, I'll see you at dinner then." Yukina said as she walked up the stairs swinging her bags happily as she thought of the fun day she had spending all of Koenma's money with Botan and Shizuru.


End file.
